Wheels And Raspberries
by Sesshoumaru0086
Summary: Speed's cousin Raspberry comes to stay with the family after her father passes away. Emotions and wheels fly when Speed and Trixie hit snags in their relationship and Raspberry gets caught in the middle! **500 hits! Thanks for reading!**
1. Chapter 1: The Phone Call

**Wheels And Raspberries**

**Chapter 1: The Phone Call**

_**July 4, 2008: I made a couple of tweaks to this chapter since it was published. I made it less confusing I hope!**_

The Racer family was having a quiet morning sharing breakfast at the table. Spritle looked like he came out of a horror movie with his hair basically standing on end. Pops was having his usual morning cigar with the sports section in hand; Mom was fixing up the toast for her son, Speed.

"Aw Mom, you didn't have to do that…" Speed said watching his mom spread butter on his toast.

"It's ok, Speed. I don't mind, who knows how much longer I'll get to do this for you?" Mom said smiling. Speed really didn't mind Mom's extra doting, but he was really wandering why she would say something like that.

"Spritle, when you're done, I need you and Pops to get dressed and go to the barber to take care of that hair of yours..."

"Aw Mom…" Spritle said in detest. He began pushing his hair down to his head to make it look like he really didn't need a haircut.

"Honey it's the weekend, can't it wait until Monday?" Pops said with just as much detest. Mom shot a cold look that said _Do it or else… _Speed laughed a little as he watched this little drama unfold.

The phone rang. There was a still silence for the first two rings before Pops finally got up to answer the phone. "Who could it be this early in the morning?" he grumbled just before picking up the receiver. "Hello?" he said in his usual husky voice. The family watched as there seemed to be a very serious conversation between him and the other end of the line. Pops's face grew sad as he continued talking with the other end.

"Who do you think he's talking to, Speed?" Spritle asked

"I don't know, but it sounds serious…" he replied; his egg slipped off his fork with the yolk spitting in Spritle's face.

"Oh crap, I'm sorry Spritle!" Speed said grabbing a napkin.

"What'd I do to get egg on my face!?" Spritle yelped trying to wipe the egg from his eye.

"I said I was sorry!" Speed said trying to pipe him down. Mom brought a finger up to her mouth to hush her fidgety sons. She watched as Pops hung up the phone with a very sad look on his face.

"Honey, is…everything alright?" Mom asked approaching him. He looked up with a little tear in his eye.

"It's my brother…"

"Albert?" Mom replied. Speed and Spritle then stood very still.

"Yeah, he's losing his battle with cancer…his doctor said he doesn't have more than 3 months to live,"

"Oh honey…I'm so sorry…" Mom sympathized in near whisper. She came up to comfort him while trying to pick her own heart up from the floor. "Oh dear," she continued. "Well, should we start heading up north for a visit?"

"No…that wouldn't be a good idea right now," he replied. Mom gave him a puzzled look. "Honey, do you remember Roselyn?"

"Oh, his little girl? The last time I saw her she was a little toddler," Mom said recalling a tiny tot with beautiful purple-red hair. "She had the most gorgeous red hair and it was so thick on her head. Albert even used to call her his little Raspberry because of her hair,"

"Well she's only a couple of years younger than Speed, so she's not a tiny tot anymore…"

"Well I knew that…" Mom said sarcastically, but seeing Pops continuing to stare at the phone made her change her harsh tune. "Um, so...what about her?"

"My brother asked us if we could please accept her into our family, since…she'll be alone," Pops replied. "If I know my brother, Albert doesn't want her to live alone, he wants her to be with plenty of family and love…"

"I understand, Honey. " Mom said already accepting the idea.

"I'm not sure, though. Do we have enough room for another?" Pops said trying to outweigh any flaws with this new situation.

"Oh Honey, of course we do! We'll put her up in Speed's room," Mom said cheerfully trying to pick up Pops's sad mood.

"With a boy?" he asked finally breaking the trance the phone had on him. Mom looked at him like he was crazy.

"Honey, in case you forgot. The only female in this house is me, and I doubt that you want her to be in our room!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot. For some reason I put Trixie in that equation somewhere," Pops weakly smiled rubbing his head. Speed's cheeks were turning red. In spite of the tension in the air, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if Trixie stayed in his room.

"Oh, I don't blame you, Honey. Her and Sparky are practically our children, too," Mom replied. "Well Speed, I'm sure you heard. Clean your room and shift your bed to make room for another. Your cousin is coming to stay!" she said turning to see Speed with a red face.

"Huh…Oh ok, Mom!" said Speed snapping out of his little reverie.

"Speed, you're blushing, are you ok?" Mom asked.

"Uh, yeah…I'm ok. I'm just going to go clean my room like you asked…" Speed said trying to make a quick get away.

"So when are we expecting the new Racer?" Mom said after watching Speed take off to his room without finishing his breakfast. Spritle pulled Speed's plate closer to his in a sneaky fashion. But Chim Chim who was under the table began picking at Speed's plate first.

"He said tomorrow morning is the latest…" Pops said with his head down expecting a yell of shock from his wife.

"Tomorrow morning?" squeaked Mrs. Racer. "Honey, we don't even have an extra bed for her to sleep in," she continued with worry.

"She can have the air mattress until we get her a bed. I'm sure she won't mind…"

"Oh I hope so…" Mom said. She then began to fumble with things around the house as she always did when she was expecting company. "Spritle wash both dishes when you're done," she turned to her youngest who was scavenging off his brother's plate. Spritle grunted out of disapproval. Pops retired to his favorite place in the house, the garage.

* * *

Excitement seemed to pour over the arrival Roselyn, more commonly known as Raspberry. It's been at least 17 years since Pops or Mom had seen her. However, Pops just couldn't get over the fact that his little brother was actually dying. Albert told him that he would phone again the next day to let them know when they could visit…for the last time.

He moved over to a shelf that had all sorts of books on cars and parts, one of them was a photo album. Pops reminisced over the stills of great times in his family. He began to choke up with tears when he saw the pictures of him and his little brother as children.

After a long while, Mom poked her head in on her husband since she hadn't seen him since earlier that morning. "Honey, you doin' ok?" she asked softly.

Pops quickly shut the photo album and tried to wipe the tears from his eyes. "Yeah, I'll be fine…" he whispered, she barely heard him.

"Honey, I'm really sorry about Albert. And I wanted to come in earlier, but I felt that you might've wanted some time alone with your thoughts," she replied coming in to rub his back.

"It's ok, dear. You know I always hoped that I would be the first to leave for heaven before him, just because he was younger. I even told him when we were kids that I'd even come back to tell him what it was like," he said trying to laugh through tears. Mom's eyes began to water as well. He came to a family potrait taken during happier times.

Albert was always so sick; the frail boy's immune system never worked as well as it should. His parents had paid more attention to him because of his many illnesses, but Pops understood why eventhough it caused him to be very lonely at times. So the best thing he could do was be with Albert in his room when he was sick and just on and on about cars and racing. And the half of the year that he actually wasn't sick, their father would always take the two boys to the races and have the time of their lives. They were so close it was more like they were best friends than siblings. Of course they got into their little sibling rivalries, but it was always forgotten when they went to the tack and blew off steam.

As Pops turned more pages he had come to a picture of Albert and a young red-haired woman. "Oh, there's him and Rose," Mom said smiled at their wedding portrait. "I just love the story of the romance between him and Rose. Though he was in a hospital or sick bed for nearly half a year, she still loved him dearly and always wanted to take care of him when he was down,"

"He was a good man, that's what she loved about him. Everytime she came to see him, He always had a rose to give her saying "_Each and everytime I see one, I'm reminded of your beauty_," or something like that. It was almost as if we were watching a love story between two angels," Pops smiled. He turned the pages in the photo album to see more pictures of a happy Albert and his Rose. Mom and Pops looked at the picture for a little bit remembering their love story.

Rose had loved Albert so much that she had agreed to bear his child through artificial insemination using his DNA. A child they called Roselyn Oleander Racer, but Albert couldn't help calling her Raspberry because of her luscious purple-red hair and copper-toned skin; both inherited from her mother. The three things she managed to inherit from her father were his eyes, smile, and his great love for racing. (As anyone in the Racer family would have, of course!)

Pops sighed as he broke the silence, "And when Rose had been murdered he couldn't stand living here anymore, so he packed him and the baby up and moved far up north making it hard for us to visit him. But I called to make sure he and the baby were okay just about every month,"

"You know what?" Mom asked. "I think it was Raspberry that kept him from getting as sick as he usually did. Did you notice after she was born he spent less and less time in his sick bed?"

"I think you're right, but I don't think it's working so well now…" Pops replied.

"Perhaps because she's getting to the point where she doesn't need his care anymore…"

"Who knows, all I know is that he asked me to keep her around Racer family and Racer love…that's exactly what I intend to do,"

Meanwhile, Speed was in his room (making room) trying to remember playing with his little cousin when he was 5 years old just before she moved north. The most he could remember is pushing her on her little dinosaur wagon and she would laugh a lot when he pushed her really fast. He could even remember when they were playing in the same room and she would leave her dolls behind to play with Speed's toy cars. Pops kept saying it was a sign of a Racer!

"Hey Speed?" Spritle asked standing in the doorway with Chim Chim bouncing around behind him.

"Yeah?" Speed answered pushing his bed against the wall.

"Who's Roselyn?"

"She's our cousin, Spritle. You don't know her because you weren't even born when she moved away from us,"

"Is she nice?"

"You know I'm not really sure, the last time I saw her, she was just a baby…" Speed said. He realized that Raspberry could very well be a rebellious bad girl whose attitude was no better.

"What's wrong, Speed?" Spritle asked; his curiosity about the new Racer was getting to him.

"Huh? Oh nothing little bro, I'm sure she's very nice…" Speed replied hoping that he was right. "And I think she might prefer it if you called her Raspberry…"

"Really? Why?"

"Well, her father always called her Raspberry, so I'm assuming that's what she likes to go by…" Speed smiled.

The phone in his room rang. Speed answered hoping it wasn't anything as serious as the phone call they had received earlier. However, a lovely voice replied that put Speed's nerves to rest at once.

"Hey Speed! What's up?" Trixie said cheerfully.

"Oh Trixie, It's you…" Speed sighed. Sensing it was Trixie, Spritle plopped himself on Speed's bed tossing his pillow in the air as he always did waiting for his brother to stop talking to his best friend. Chim Chim followed suit.

"Of course it's me. Whom did you expect?" Trixie replied.

"Well the last phone call we just got really changed our lives,"

"Really? What happened?" Trixie asked curiously.

"Well my Uncle Albert is dying and we're expecting a new Racer in the family…" Speed said.

"Oh my, I'm sorry about your Uncle...and...Mom is pregnant?" she asked not really sure how to feel.

"Huh? Oh no! I meant since my uncle is dying, he's asked Pops to care for his daughter, well my cousin, since she'll be all alone. So she's coming to live with us," Speed said starting to laugh.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry Speed," Trixie began to laugh with him.

"That's ok, I think Mom has enough with Spritle, don't you think?"

"No kidding!" she agreed.

"Hey! Don't talk about me!" Spritle yelled throwing a pillow at Speed.

"Argh! hey Spritle cut that out!" he said throwing the pillow back at Spritle but ended up hitting Chim Chim instead.

"Pillow Fight!" Spritle yelled.

"Oh no…Spritle declared war…wanna come over before I'm pummeled by pillows?" Speed quickly told Trixie before getting hit in the face with his own pillow.

"No prob Speed, I'll be right over!" Trixie replied giggling. Her voice never failed to make his heart skip a beat. For some odd reason, he loved it when she made every effort to see him, even if it was to save him from Spritle's pillow attacks!

Later that night, Mom wanted to do the best she could to cheer Pops up from the awful news they recieved. So she had made the most delicious steak with buttery potatoes and sweet corn (yummy!). She made enough to go around; even Sparky and Trixie got nice cuts! Mom ended up lecturing Spritle on his appearance to girls, Pops and Sparky were discussing design models and new tactics for making the Mach 5 better, and Speed and Trixie managed to get in a little conversation of their own.

"So Speed, tell me about your prima. What's her name?"

"Her name is Roselyn Oleander Racer, but she likes so be called Raspberry…" he replied. Trixie gasped in shock.

"You're kidding me! Your cousin is Raspberry Racer!?"

"Well yeah..." he said wondering why she was getting so worked up. He wasn't even sure if she heard him because she leaned over to catch Sparky's attention.

"Sparky, his cousin is Raspberry Racer!" Trixie tried to whisper.

"NO WAY!" Sparky couldn't whisper. "I didn't think you guys were related!"

"Well Sparky, we do have the same last name…" Speed replied even more confused at their excitement.

"Speed, there are plenty of people with the same last name but no relation. I wanted to ask, but I didn't want you think I wasn't your fan anymore!"

"My fan? Trixie what is this about?" Speed replied nearly dumbfounded.

"You don't know about the famous Raspberry Racer?!" Sparky yelped. "She's even your cousin!"

"That didn't answer my question…" Speed said sarcastically. "That only raised a new one…which is…She's famous?"

"You bet your sweet ass she is!" Trixie said excited. Speed didn't expect that answer, but he liked it!

"Trixie!" Mom said in her motherly tone. She was surprised Trixie would even use that kind of language.

"I'm sorry Mom, but it's just so cool!" she replied practically jumping in her seat. "Sounds like you're quite the fan," Mom smiled as she rolled her eyes. Speed kinda wished she kept bouncing (naughty boy!). Forcing the thought from his mind he continued ask questions about the cousin that he barely knew. Apparantly, Sparky and Trixie knew more about her than her own family

"Raspberry Racer has been car racing since she was 5 years old! She started out in soap box derbies then to Formula 1, and then her father pulled a lot of strings to let her enter in actual races pre-maturely with her race car called the Blue Ghost," Sparky said sounding a bit nerdy. Both Pops and Mom's jaw dropped when they heard she was racing in real races before she was of age.

"My brother never told me all this!" Pops said in near outrage, "I mean, I knew she was a miniature racer...I've heard her name more than enough, but I didn't think he was letting her be in professional races before she was of age!"

"Your brother is Albert Racer, right?" Trixie asked.

"Yes…"

"That's him, he had her racing for about 13 years in just about anything and everything that has a motor. But about a year and a half ago during the last car race she was in, a sore loser sent her into a tail spin just after she crossed the finish line. Her car exploded and she was in the hospital for 3 weeks on life support," Sparky continued...being nerdy...

"It was nothing short of a miracle. Her father wanted to pull the plug on her because he thought she was dying, but once they did, she miraculously started breathing on her own and eventually made a full recovery. In about 4 months, she had started her trend in motorcycle racing. Since then she hadn't gone back to racing cars. Some people believe that it's because she doesn't have a car, some others think she's too scared to go back to car racing," Trixie said finishing the short biography Sparky had started.

"I don't believe this, why didn't he tell me anything?" Pops said feeling quite betrayed

"It was all over the news Pops; I'm surprised you didn't hear anything about it…" Sparky said.

"Well it might've been when he and I had gotten in a huge argument, we didn't talk for a few months…" Pops replied.

"I remember that…"Mom said giving Pops the eye.

"Well we did say sorry…eventually…"Pops said. He didn't realize all that had happened to his brother. He felt pretty ashamed at the thought of it. Feeling the mood was a little tense, Chim Chim got up and started to hop on Spritle's shoulders nearly pushing his face into his food.

"Ow! Chim Chim get off! I don't think he liked the conversation so he's trying to be funny,"

"Well I think it worked," Trixie said laughing. "Chim Chim managed to get mashed potatoes on your chin!"

"Honey, I think that was there before Chim Chim started clowning…" Mom said running a napkin across her son's chin.

The doorbell rang, interrupting what was possibly the most exciting casual dinner party. Pops reluctantly got up and answered the fussy doorbell.

"Alright, I'm coming…" Pops called to the door, which seemed to be impatient. He opened the door to a motorcyclist dressed in a red and white racer suit with a cycle helmet to match. The outline told Pops it was a little woman dressed in all that.

"Are you Pops Racer?" the cyclist woman asked.

"Why yes, I am. To whom do I owe this honor?" Pops asked out of spite disappointed that a good dinner was ruined by her interruption. The girl lifted up the visor to her helmet.

'Hi, I'm Raspberry Racer, your niece!" she said cheerfully. Her smile undeniably belonged to her father. Pops found it hard to rebuff that it was indeed the daughter of his beloved brother.

"Raspberry? But we weren't expecting you until tomorrow," Pops said.

"Yeah, I know. I didn't stay in a hotel like my father wanted me to," Raspberry said with her hand behind her head in embarrassment.

"Oh, that's ok…Come in, Come in" Pops welcomed. She stepped in as asked.

"Oh Honeeey," he called as she came in. "We have an early visitor!"

**_Author's note: This is my first OC fic. PLEASE DON'T FLAME! I know there's a bit of rambling and format errors as well as some gramatical. Critisim is welcome, but please don't be harsh. Oh yeah, and "Prima" is Spanish for your female cousin...:D_**


	2. Chapter 2: Racer Love

Wheels And Raspberries

Chapter 2: Racer Love

**Author's note: I know I do a bit of rambling in this chapter and theres a bit more dialogue than narrative, but I've tried my absolute hardest on this chapter. I 've found that's the only way this chapter could work so I really hope you enjoy it! Oh yeah, and _The Love Note _****is just a story I made up, it's not actually a book or movie (at least I don't think...).**

Raspberry took her helmet off which released her wavy red hair and followed her uncle into the dining room.

"Hello," she said smiling. "Sorry to interrupt…"

"Roselyn, is that you?" Mom said leaving the table to greet her only niece. "Oh honey you're so big! The last time I saw you, you were just a little baby!" she said giving her a little kiss on the forehead. Raspberry smiled, "_Dad was right, Uncle and his family are nice!"_

"Well kids, come say hello to your cousin!" Pops said looking at the bunch sitting at the table appearing dumbfounded. Speed was the first to get up and approach the reunion. Raspberry gasped wide-eyed.

"Oh my gosh! YOU'RE SPEED RACER!!" Raspberry said mouth agape. "NO WAY, WE'RE RELATED?!"

"Were we really that distant?" Pops said looking at his wife. Mom shrugged at the thought.

"Yes honey, this is your cousin," Mom said smiling at her jumpy niece.

"Are you really my cousin? Oh this is so cool!" Raspberry said starting to hop in place. "You are my hero! When I had my racecar I used to have a bumper sticker that said "What Would Speed Racer Do?" Ah Michelle's not going to believe this!" she continued on in pure excitement.

"Wow, it sounds like you're a really big fan!" Pops said smiling. Pops felt really proud when he saw fans of his son, even if it was just a distant relative.

"You bet! This is going to sound funny, but I even used to pray that I meet him one day. And now I find out that he is of my blood, that's so cool!" she replied.

"Well honey, you both have the same last name, you didn't think that you might've been related?" Mom asked.

"Well no… There are plenty of people with the same last name, but no relation," Raspberry said; her spirit finally calming down to the fact that Speed is her cousin.

"That's exactly what I said," Trixie said as she approached with Sparky and Spritle. "Hi, I'm Trixie, one of your biggest fans!" she replied hoping that Speed didn't mind.

"A fan? You've heard of me here, too?" Raspberry replied.

"Are you kidding? You're only the most awesome motorcycle racer around! I saw you take the win at the Corazon SuperMotor race two weeks ago, it was so awesome!" Trixie exclaimed.

"Wow, I didn't know I was popular around here… I thought I just got attention up north," Raspberry said in amazement.

"Keep racing the way you are and the whole world will know your name!" Sparky said coming to shake her hand.

"Are they my cousins, too?" Raspberry turned to Mom.

"No these are Speed's friends, Trixie and Sparky,"

"But they might as well be your cousins. They spend so much time around here, they might as well be family," Pops said. Trixie and Sparky gave a sheepish smile.

"My name is Spritle and this is Chim Chim!" Spritle said like a little school boy introducing himself to the class.

"Hi Spritle!" Raspberry said coming down to his level. "Chim Chim is really cute! How long have you two been friends?"

"A long time, Chim Chim is a really great pal!" Spritle said.

"Oh goodness, why are we all just standing here?" Mom said realizing almost everyone was just standing in the door way. "Come sit down with us, Raspberry! Are you hungry?" Her stomach answered that question with a grumble loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Heh-heh, I skipped a few meals while I was on the road…" Raspberry said sheepishly.

"Oh Raspberry, go ahead and sit down. I'll bring out a plate and I'll take care of this," Mom said picking her helmet up and putting it on the kitchen counter while Raspberry joined the family at the table.

"So Raspberry, did you have a good run over here?" Pops said motioning to sit down.

"Yes, I did! Oh that reminds me…" she replied. "Hey Uncle, do you mind if I park my bike in the garage? I have all of my luggage in the sidecar,"

* * *

Pops opened up the garage for the Speed Demon to park inside. Attached to it was a sidecar that held about 3 bags of luggage. Pops looked over the motorcycle that was said to have won Raspberry some great races; a motorcycle that his own brother had designed himself.

"Wow, so that's the Speed Demon…I always wanted to see it up close," Sparky said. He never really knew much about motorcycles, but he loved the piece of machinery that the girl he highly admired raced.

"Yup, that's my iron horse! I really don't like bragging, but the Speed Demon has taken me to victory and back. I have my Dad to thank for it…" Raspberry said. A pang of sadness shot through her heart as she mentioned her father, but she only continued to smile as Spritle and Chim Chim pretended to drive it.

"Hey Pops, can I have a motorcycle, too?" Spritle asked already knowing the answer.

"Spritle…" Pops replied in warning tone.

"Pops, kids! Everyone your dinner is getting cold!" Mom said approaching the crowd that once again left the dinner table.

"Yes, Mom!" everyone replied at the same time.

As they gathered around a rather crowded dinner table, the family got more acquainted with their long lost Racer (No, I'm not talking about Racer X! XD). Speed was relieved that she didn't show any signs of being a rebel girl as he thought earlier that day. As a matter of fact, he found she was a whole lot sweeter than she seemed. Before long, it would be time to say goodbye to Sparky and Trixie.

"Alright Sparky, I'll see you here at the factory tomorrow…" Pops said in salutation.

"Gotcha Pops!" he replied as he got into his car. He drove off as the rest of the family except for Speed and Trixie headed inside.

"Tell Mom thanks for the meal it was delicious," Trixie said stretching. Speed found himself following her to her car. "And Raspberry is very sweet and funny! I always thought she'd be a little stuck up, you know from all the fame she's been getting…"

"Is that what you think of me? I've been getting pretty popular too you know…" Speed joked.

"I know, but I also know that you have a good head on your shoulders. You don't race for fame or money, you race because it's your passion," she said leaning against her car. Speed smiled bashfully at her remark. _That's why I'm so in love with you…_Trixie thought in her head.

"Well it's getting late and I should get going…" Trixie said after a brief moment of silence.

"Wait, when will I see you again?" Speed said. Trixie laughed as it sounded like something from a cheesy romance movie.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go to the park on Friday. I'll make a picnic lunch and a deck of cards so we can have a game of Speed,"

"Ooo, I love your lunches!" he said loving the idea. "And you always beat me at Speed!"

"I do not!"

"Do too!" he replied like a ten year old. "When's the last time you lost to me?"

"When I gave you a break!" Trixie said laughing. "I guess you're not as fast as you think you are,"

"Oh that was low," he said playfully.

"Oh Speed," she said; smile still stuck on her face. "Well I'll call you tomorrow ok?" she said getting into her car and starting it up.

"Alright, 'night Trixie…" Speed for some reason, wished she wouldn't leave. He walked up the path leading to the front door. He stopped to see Trixie driving off before entering his home.

_You'll see her again on Friday, Speed. Why do you feel so down?_ He asked himself as he walked to his room. From the doorway he could see Raspberry putting away her clothes in the closet space that he had made for her and Mom making sure the air mattress had enough air.

"Ok…I think this thing is all set for you, Raspberry," Mom said adjusting the sheets on the air bed.

"Looks real cozy Auntie, thanks!" she replied putting her last bits of clothing away. Mom noticed Speed standing at the door staring into space.

"Honey, are you ok?" Mom said snapping Speed from his daydream.

"Huh? Oh…yeah…I'm fine, just thinking…" he said running his fingers through his dark hair.

"You seemed to be daydreaming all day, I wonder what of…" Mom said pinching his chin to make him smile. _You can't hide it from me, son…I know lovesickness when I see it! _Mom thought as she made her way out. "Goodnight you two…"

"Goodnight!" they both replied together. Raspberry had gotten out of her racing suit and is now in a baby doll t-shirt and girl shorts reavealing her finely toned body with extra muscle. She shut the closet door then proceeded to make a crash landing on the air bed. "Oh gosh what a day…" she said stretching; she still didn't feel tired even after nearly 18 hours on the road with few pit stops.

Speed closed the door to "their" bedroom and plopped himself down on his bed without a word. His silence was getting to Raspberry; she hoped that he didn't think badly of her in any way.

"Hey Speed? You don't think bad of me…do you?" Raspberry asked. This was based on the fact that he hardly spoke at dinner. Either something really caught his mind or he didn't like the attention that she was getting…

"Hm? Oh no! I wouldn't think badly of you at all! It's just…." Speed wondered if he confide in her with what he wanted to get off his chest. The voice in his head screamed _Trust her, she may actually help you! _"There's just been a lot on my mind…" he continued after an awkward silence.

"Join the club…" Raspberry said with a smile. "But by the way you're acting, it seems more like some_one _is on your mind, not some_thing…_" she looked at a picture on his nightstand. It was a high school graduation picture of him and Trixie holding up their diplomas. "Sorry for me being nosey, but how long have you and Trixie known each other?"

"Don't get the wrong idea; Trixie and I are just best friends," it felt wrong for him to say that; _painfully _wrong.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, a lot of people think that we're an item because we're always together and she's been my navigator more than enough times. But truthfully and honestly we're just best friends…" another dagger shot through his heart, sharper than the one before.

"Well in case you didn't know, that's not really the question I asked," Raspberry replied sitting up on her elbow to face him on his bed. "I noticed your graduation picture…" she said coming up with a lie quickly.

"Oh, well I first met Trixie in elementary school. Some kid was teasing me about my father; of course this kid was the prime son of a rival motor company. So when he said too much, she came right up and punched him square in the nose. I didn't even know who she was," he smiled recalling the memory.

"What happened then?" Raspberry said acknowledging that this little story was cute and very interesting.

"Well, the kid ran off with a bloody nose and Trixie ended up in detention. But I stayed with her because she did it on my behalf, so it felt like the right thing to do," he replied sitting up. Raspberry gave a small "aw".

"Why did she do it if you two didn't know each other yet?"

"She told me she was just tired of hearing all this awful stuff about me and my father from other kids…So I guess the last straw broke when that ugly kid said too much to me…" he pulled the little drawer out on his nightstand and took out a little photo album that said _My Senior Year _and began to flip through it's pages. Raspberry came up to see it with him as she listened. "We were the best of friends all through high school; we were always there for each other. For instance, I had suffered a _huge _breakup with a girl named Sophie. It was over when she ditched me at our senior prom for some other guy,"

"Oh man, that's the pits…" Raspberry replied.

"Yeah, I felt stupid just being a wallflower so I tried to head out the door, when Trixie stopped me. She said she'd be my escort since her prom date left her, too. And you know what's ironic?"

"What?" Raspberry asked, really enjoying the story.

"My girl left with her guy," Speed said.

"Wow, that's awful…" she couldn't help but laugh, Speed laughed with her since now it ended up as a silly memory. He then turned the pages of the photo book to a rather large current picture of Trixie.

"For some reason, I'm starting to worry about her a lot more. I guess it's because she's just moved into a new apartment and she's all alone. I call her just about every night just to make sure she's ok," he slammed the book shut trying to shove out a certain thought. It made Raspberry jump, she knew there was something he was leaving out. He looked at his alarm clock and he got mad when he realized what time it was. "Damn, I wanted to call her, but I think it's already too late,"

Raspberry moved back over to the air mat on the floor. Speed just lay back on his bed staring at the ceiling. "I'm sure she's ok, Speed. How about you call her when you get up?" she asked trying to sooth his rising worry.

"I don't think I'll even be able to sleep,"

"Why not?" Raspberry asked, already knowing the answer.

"I don't know, I guess I'm just worried about her too much. I guess you can say I really…" there was a pause as Speed couldn't find the right words.

"Love her?" Raspberry said; she knew those were the only words that fit that sentence.

"What?" he replied taken back.

"Do you love her, Speed?" Raspberry asked, this time more serious. The more times those words went through his head, the more absolute and correct it sounded. The pain in his chest even eased up as he finally gave in.

"I do…"

"Hm?" Raspberry asked wanting to hear him admit it proudly.

"I love her…I love Trixie…" he said beginning to smile. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach as his heart did back flips in pure joy. It was almost as if his soul was saying _Yay! He figured it out! _"I don't believe it, I'm in love! I've fallen in love with my best friend,"

"Wow! Is this the first time you're admitting that to yourself?" Raspberry exclaimed trying to keep her voice down.

"That's why I've been feeling so weird when she was around, lately. I couldn't even stand to see her leave tonight,"

"Aw, this is so cool! I witnessed a very special confession!" Raspberry said as quietly as she could; excitement seemed to pour over her as she witnessed what seemed to be a very interesting love story.

"Please don't tell her!" Speed's voice filled with panic; he figured he might seriously freak her out if he told her his feelings. They were only friends, nothing more than that. Even when people had thought they were going out they always made sure to correct them by saying they were just best friends. Speed had even told the press that she was more like a sister to him, though for some unknown reason it hurt him to say something like that. It felt like he was telling everybody a horrible lie. She meant more to him than that, but he didn't want to admit it.

"I wouldn't tell her Speed," Raspberry said snapping him out of his thoughts. She was staring down at her lap with a sort of sympathetic smile. "Something special like this needs ultra special care. Trixie oughtta hear that you love her from you, yourself…It would mean nothing coming out of MY mouth, or anyone else's for that matter,"

"Does that mean you'll keep your mouth shut?" he asked hoping he could trust her.

"Of course!" her eyes gave off that she was serious about everything she just said which put Speed at ease. "Though I'd really love to see the moment when you confess to her!"

"That's just it," Speed said; a deeper sort of pain seemed to rise in his chest.

"Hm?" Raspberry replied a little confused.

"I wouldn't know how to tell her…"

"Ah, the shyness bug. Just do what they did in that one story _The Love Note_, go to the beach and playfully shove her into the water and then let her drag you in. Then start splashing and playing around like little kids until you catch her eyes in a loving stare. Then let out your big secret and kiss her!" Raspberry said playfully. The thought of kissing Trixie almost made Speed's heart stop.

"You read stuff like that?" Speed said getting over the brief shock. He didn't think that she would get into mushy stuff like that.

"Not really," she replied. "My dad was watching the movie version of it on T.V. one day. I just happened to sit and watch it with him,"

"I couldn't tell her I love her,"

"You have to! Otherwise, you'll spend the rest of your life wondering what could've been,"

"Yeah but,"

"No buts!" she responded before he could finish. "Speed, you don't have to make it fancy or even romantic. I'm pretty sure she's wondering why you've been acting a little strange, and I know this is why, so just tell her that this has been on your mind. And if it starts to freak her out, just simply apologize. She's a very good friend of yours, like your sister right? I'm sure she'll understand if...it happens to be that she doesn't feel the same way…"

"You really think it's that easy?" Speed said getting annoyed.

"I know it's not easy," Raspberry said, the serious level in her voice rose. "When you really want something that's precious, you know it isn't going to be easy to come by. But you do what you can to try and obtain it; that goes for anything,"

Speed sighed; she was right. He and Trixie were inseparable since the second grade. They remained great friends all throughout school and picked each other up when they were down. And lately, he has found a whole new affection for his best friend; a really powerful crush that caused him not to sleep at night until he knew that he would see her again very soon.

"I just hope…it doesn't create any awkward feeling between us…" Speed said.

"It might…but at least you know you tried…" Raspberry said closing her eyes. Speed smiled as he closed his.

"Thanks Raspberry,"

"No problem…"

* * *

After 2 hours of tossing and turning, Raspberry decided to get dressed and take a ride on her motorcycle out to the sea shore. A lot has happened to her in the last 48 hours and it was beginning to overwhelm her. She reached into her pocket for a cigarette and lit it up. The recent events continued to race in her head as she smoked. The young girl prayed that little cancer stick would calm her nerves before they were shot.

In the distance, the familiar motor of a certain black and yellow racecar could be heard. It came to a stop right where Raspberry was parked; she then began to pray that it wasn't trouble…


	3. Chapter 3: The Love Note

**Wheels and Raspberries**

_**Author's Note: Sorry about the delay! I had some trouble with my ISP! And my job had something to do with it as well. I have a small excerpt from the song "I Love You" by Celine Dion. It just seemed so fitting for the situation! And I hardly got to proofread it so there might be some grammar errors. But other than that ENJOY!!**_

**Chapter Three: The Love Note**

The black and yellow racecar stopped next to Raspberry and her Speed Demon. On its side was the number 9. A small "wow" excaped from her lips as she recognized the car.

"Cool, you're Racer X," she said as he got out of his car.

"And you're Raspberry Racer, I presume," he said with a half smile. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing out here at 3 in the morning? It's pretty dangerous out here around this time," he continued.

"Oh? And are you going to protect me?" she said sarcastically; her smile was daring.

"If you want me to…" he said just as sarcastic.

"If you really wanna know, I just came out to try and clear my head. With all that has happened to me in the last few hours I'm surprised I haven't driven off the end of that pier," she said motioning to a pier a few meters from them.

"Really? You don't seem like the type of person who would crack under pressure," he said coming up to join her at the railing of the sea wall where she was looking out at the ocean.

"I don't usually, but I don't know if I'll be able to take the weight of all these recent events…" she replied. Her face was calm, but pain was written all over it.

"It's that bad, huh?" Racer X said trying to sympathize.

"Well, long story short, my dad finds out he only has less than 3 months to live and he doesn't want me to sit there and watch him die so he sends me out about 18 hours down south to live with my uncle, Pops Racer. You know, so I won't be all alone when he…" it pained her to even think of her father passing. However, she felt it nessesary to put up a tough front and not show her weakness to someone she also looked up to, other than Speed. "When he passes…"

"So in essence, your whole life has just changed its course …"he said hinting that she needn't go to deep in detail.

"In no more than 48 hours,"

"I feel your pain," he replied. "I had to part from my dad as well…"

"Really?" she turned to look at him, though she couldn't see his face, she could tell he resembled someone very familiar.

"It was my fault, we got into an argument and I just left without saying goodbye…"

"Ouch, do you regret ever going away?"

"Actually I do, and I would like to go back, but…" his voice grew a little sad. There was a short pause before Raspberry spoke up.

"Because of the positions you may have taken, there are people after you. So much so, that if you return to your family, you'll be putting them in danger…" she said reaching to pull out another cigarette. "It's a very big sacrifice to do what you do. You can't have a family; you can't go back to the one you had, and you can't start one… I couldn't do it…I don't know how you do…"

"Do you pity me?" Racer X smiled.

"Don't be offended, but yeah, I do. The solitary life scares me, I have to be around kin or I go crazy with lonelyness," her expression grew solemn. "It was hard enough having to leave my dad when he's at his worst, but you know what?"

"What's that?"

"I'm glad he sent me down here. In only a couple of hours in being with the other part of my Racer family, I have never seen so much love and comfort. I mean, me and my own father had a lot of that same family love, but not as much as they do….There's something about my aunt that I'll never forget," she said with a gentle smile as she looked out on the ocean.

"I sat down to eat dinner with them just a few hours ago," Raspberry continued. "Their dinner table is kinda small and my cousin Speed already had his two friends there, then I arrived early. So it was me, Sparky, Trixie, Speed, Uncle, Auntie, Spritle and his pet chimp, so the table was pretty crowded. But even through that limited space, Auntie still managed to set an extra place for someone,"

"An extra place? For who?" Racer X asked.

"That's exactly what I asked her. She told me it was for her missing son, Rex," Raspberry said solemnly. "She said if he ever came back home, she would like him to know that he never left their thoughts," she replied almost in tears as just retelling the story touched her even more as it did hearing it. Racer X gently smiled, eventhough he ran away with the intent of never coming back, it touched him to know that his mother remembered him and was _still _waiting for him to come home.

"She's very sweet," Racer X said; that's all he could say without giving too much away. The argument may have been between him and Pops, but he tore his mother's heart out and caused her to worry every night. He didn't even want to imagine what his running away did to his little brothers. He wasn't even around when Spritle was born, so he doubted his youngest brother even knew who he was…

"She's way more than that…"she replied looking at her watch. "And I better get home before she thinks _I'm_ missing…"

"Would you like me to escort you? I really wasn't kidding when I said it was pretty dangerous out here…"

"Sure why not?" she said putting on her helmet. Raspberry started up the engine as Racer X started up his. After letting the engines roar, Raspberry and the Speed Demon started down 

the road back to the Racer house with Racer X following. The young biker looked out at the ocean for the last time before heading home; it was only minutes from dawn as the night sky began to grow lighter. "Wow, I had no idea it was this early already... I hope they didn't wake up…"

Both the Masked Racer and Raspberry pulled up into the driveway. "I'm going to leave my bike out here, I don't want the garage door waking them up, eventhough it was parked in the garage when I left," she said praying that the Racer family didn't wake up to the opening of the garage door.

"Hey, Raspberry…" Racer X said before backing out.

"Yeah?"

"Tell your aunt I said hello…"

"Uh…Sure…ok…" she replied as he drove away. _I wonder how he knows Auntie…_

Her suspicions about Racer X began to grow as she took off her helmet and continued up to the front door. Before she even touched the knob, the door opened to a very worried Mom Racer.

"There you are young lady! You had me worried sick!" the little house wife said in her robe.

"I'm sorry, Auntie. I thought I'd be home before you woke up…"

"The sound of a garage door and a motorbike driving off woke me up…"

"Oh geez, I'm sorry…I couldn't sleep so I went for a ride…" Raspberry responded. Mom sighed and put her hands through Raspberry's violet-red hair to hold her head.

"I understand that you've gone through so much in just one day, but you really shouldn't go off without telling anyone, especially at this time of night..." she replied as she pulled Raspberry into an embrace. "Your uncle and I love you, we have ever since you were born. And we just got you, we don't want to loose you. If there is anything bothering you, don't be afraid to come to us, we'll always be here for you…"

"Thank you, Auntie…" she said as they pulled away. It really comforted her to know that she wasn't alone. Mom had smelled something peculiar on her…

"Raspberry, do you smoke?"

"Um…" Raspberry gave a really bashful grin; it was too hard for her to come up with a good excuse.

"Roselyn Oleander Racer…" she said in her motherly tone.

"I'm not a big time smoker! A pack usually lasts me a month!" Raspberry said throwing out the greatest excuses she could find.

"That's what they all say…" Mom said with her arms crossed. "Why don't we get to bed ok? We'll talk about this in the morning…especially about that bad habit of yours…" she said guiding her to Speed's room. "Now get some rest, It's not healthy to be sleep deprived,"

"Oh, hey Auntie…" she said just before going in the room.

"Yes, dear?"

"Racer X told me to tell you hi," Raspberry answered, Mom looked confused.

"Racer X? You saw him out there?"

"Yeah, and he was kind enough to escort me back," she said. Mom smiled, but she still looked a little perplexed.

"Oh well, best wishes to him then…" Mom said as she climbed the stairs leading to her room. It still greatly confused her that Racer X wanted to say hi to her, of all people. Shoving the thought aside, she continued climbing the stairs. "Goodnight, Raspberry…"

"Goodnight, Auntie…" Raspberry replied. Closing the door, she plopped herself onto the air mattress. Raspberry was still in her racing suit, but she didn't care. After 20+ hours of a sudden life switch, she finally drifted off into dreamland.

* * *

Speed woke up in a cold sweat. It was hard for him to get to sleep, even harder to stay asleep. He looked over to the air mattress where Raspberry was sound asleep. _I thought she got out of her racing suit…_he thought not knowing of her midnight rendezvous.

Speed rubbed his face as the sun blazed into their bedroom. All night he had been thinking of Trixie. Just the mere thought of possibly kissing her was making his whole body tingle. He ached just to see her again; he only wished that she would join them for breakfast that morning as she usually did.

Unfortunately for Speed, Trixie was going to a Flight seminar up north and would be leaving that very day. He wouldn't see her again until their Friday picnic at the park. He groaned as he realized it was only Sunday.

"_Oh Trixie, I don't know how, but you even managed to capture the heart of your very best friend. I'm falling for you faster than a two-ton elephant from a 30-story building" _he thought. He then began to think of all the previous men that have been in her life and began comparing himself to them.

There is one she did truly fall in love with; his name was Nicolai, but he went by the name of Tiger. The only reason they broke up was because he moved away and never kept in touch, so naturally they grew far apart. When he left, Trixie was an absolute wreck; she even refused to eat, and it took everything in Speed's power to help her get over him once and for all. He could even remember she would be sitting by the phone day after day waiting for his call…and it would never come, ripping her apart even more. The last thing that Speed wanted was for him to come back and try to reclaim Trixie's heart. So with that he shoved the thought from his mind and concentrated on how he himself was going to claim Trixie's precious heart.

"_Trixie… I want to be the one to pick up the shattered pieces of your heart."_ he promised in his head. The only thing it came down to now…was how to tell her. Ideas for confessing to her raced in his head. His eye kept catching a pen on his nightstand.

"_That's it! A letter...a love note…"_ he thought has he got up from his bed in a rush. He immediately got up, went to his desk and pulled out a blank sheet of paper. With pen in hand, he poured his heart out on the white sheets. After signing his name at the bottom, he looked toward his sleeping cousin who turned over. _"I'll send this out with you, Raspberry; apparently you know a lot more about this stuff than you allow people to believe…" _

Raspberry turned over again, seemingly dreaming of something interesting. "_Well, when you wake up that is…"_ he said as he watched her. He took one last look at the letter he had just written; the tender note written on the page may very well change his life forever. Speed so desparately just wanted to wake his baby cousin up and send her along with the letter…

"Speed, are you awake already?" Raspberry's voice gingerly said from behind him. She was sitting up on the air mattress. Grogginess was evident on her face as she rubbed her bright green eyes.

"I was writing something…" his face turned red as he answered her.

"Writing something?" she said through her yawn. Raspberry began to regret sleeping in her racing suit that was now clinging to her skin.

"Yeah, this is how I'm going to let her know…" he said holding the envelope in his hands. It was amazing how much power that love note actually held over his life.

"Ah…The Love Note. This is going to be fun!" she said as excitement began to boil over.

"Oh it will, ne?" he said smirking at her. Raspberry gave him a confused look. "That's good, because I was wondering if you could deliver it for me…"

"What? Why me?"

"C'mon Raspberry, just this one favor?"

* * *

Raspberry changed out of her old racing suit to her favorite red and black one. She combed her hair out and put it back in her helmet as she went down stairs where Mom was in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

"Now just where are you going, young lady?" she said as she spotted her going toward the front door.

"I get to play mailwoman!" Raspberry replied holding Speed's letter between her fingers. "Don't worry Momma Racer, I'll be back before breakfast!" Raspberry rushed out the door before Mom could answer.

Once outside, Raspberry stuck the letter in the inner pocket of her racing suit before jumping on her motorcycle. _Speed said she should've left by now so all I have to do is stick it in her mailslot…_

After revving it up, she was off again using the directions Speed gave her. Her new apartment was only about 10 blocks away from the Racer house, so getting there wasn't at all difficult. Coming up to the security gate she put in the code written on the paper that Speed wrote the directions on. _I hope this works… _the gate opened. _Yes! I'm in! Now let's see, _she thought continually glancing back at the crumpled sheet in her hand. _Building B…Apartment 32…_

"Wow, nice place…" she said looking around at the nicely furnished complex. "Ah, here it is…" she spotted Building B and pulled in to an available parking spot not realizing that Trixie's car was still there. She found apartment 32 was on the ground floor which made her realieved that she didn't have to climb 5 flights of stairs like some of the other apartments. After getting to the door she pulled out the letter that had Trixie's name in nice cursive on the front. _Well little guy, you're going to make some guy either really happy or really upset. Either way, you're going to change his life for ever… _she thought as she held it for the last time.

For some reason, Raspberry knocked on the door. _Wait, what am I doing? She isn't home…_ she snickered realizing her mistake. The door opened before she could place the letter in the slot; for a split second, Raspberry thought she had the wrong apartment until she saw that it was Trixie standing at the door.

"Raspberry? What are you doing here?"

"I…um…uh…came to deliver something," she replied trying to get over brief shock. "Speed told me that you were on your way to a flight seminar,"

"I was, my flight got delayed until tomorrow…"

"Ooo, tough break…"

"Yeah, luckily I booked a couple of days ahead of time,"

"Ah, smart thinking…" Raspberry replied still holding the letter in her hand.

"So…you came to deliver something?" Trixie asked spotting the note.

"Huh? Oh yeah, Speed sent me to give you this…" she said handing the envelope to Trixie.

"Speed wrote this? I don't get it, why doesn't he just call…" Trixie asked; the only thing Raspberry could do in reply was shrug. "You look tired, you want some coffee? I just made some…"

"Sure if you don't mind," Raspberry said.

"Not at all, come in…" Trixie smiled.

"Ooo, nice place you got here…"

"Thanks...Speed says it's too big for me and that I should work on getting a room mate," Trixie said placing the unopened letter on the table to fetch some coffee.

"I wonder if he meant himself…" Raspberry snickered quietly.

"What?" she called from the kitchen.

"Huh, oh nothing…" Raspberry replied trying to change the subject. "So, how long have you lived here?"

"Oh not long, a couple of months,"

"You sure fixed it up nicely," Raspberry said coming to sit at the table.

"Well the apartment was fully furnished, the only things I added to it was the junk that my mom had in her attic," Trixie said joining her at the table with the mugs of coffee. The letter sat only inches away from her.

"Oh, it still looks nice. I'd love to live in an apartment like this…"

"Thanks," Trixie smiled as she reached for the letter. "I can't believe he'd make you go to the trouble of getting this to me when I'm sure he knows how to use a phone,"

"He's a guy Trixie, I'm sure he's got other things on his mind than just racing…or thinking clearly for that matter…"

"Oh you're mean…"

"I was kidding, I wouldn't talk that badly about Mr. Super-famous racecar driver…" Raspberry replied. Trixie started to tear open the letter, but stopped half-way through.

"Before I open this…what's in it?" Trixie said appearing as if she were scared to read it.

"I don't know, I didn't watch him write it! And as you can see, I didn't read it…the binding is still in tact," Raspberry retorted.

"Something tells me you know what's in this letter…"

"I…have an idea, but truthfully and honestly I don't know what that letter holds…" Raspberry gave her a clever smile. "The only way you're going to find out what's in it…is to open it and read it,"

Trixie sighed, but did as told and tore away the envelope. Her heart suddenly began to race as she pulled out its contents and started reading. Raspberry tried to sip her coffee as the air became thick with tension. This was it, the moment of truth. Raspberry began to recall what Speed had told her just the night before; she couldn't stand the thought of Trixie giving him a rejection.

_**I must be crazy now, **_

_**Maybe I dream too much.**_

_**But when I think of you, I long to feel your touch…**_

_**To whisper in your ear,**_

_**Words that will hold us tight,**_

_**Words only you would hear if only you were mine.**_

_**I wish I could go back to the very first day I saw you, **_

_**Should have made my move when you looked in my eyes.**_

'_**Cause by now I'd know that you feel the way that I do,**_

_**And I'd whisper these words as you lie here by my side…I…**_

Raspberry watched as Trixie read. Her expression changed as she got deeper into the letter. Trixie's hand came up to her mouth as she read the words that made her heart stop…

**I love you**

**Please say you love me, too**

_**These three words,**_

_**They could change our lives forever.**_

_**And I promise you that we'd always be together,**_

_**Till the end of time…**_

"Oh my God," Trixie whispered. Her hands started to tremble as a great dream was coming true. "He…he loves me…"

Raspberry smiled at her reaction; Trixie obviously liked what she read. She put the letter gently on the table. Tears started to well up in her eyes.

"So…" Raspberry broke the brief moment of silence. "What did you think?" she asked rhetorically.

A big smile shown upon Trixie's face as she wiped a tear away; just that was enough to answer Raspberry's question.

"He loves me…He really loves me…After so many years of turmoil and heartbreak we suffered from previous lovers, comforting each other through our breakups, we both came to realize that we love each other!"

Raspberry rested a hand on Trixie's. "Go tell him…he's waiting…"

They both snapped back to reality as the phone rang. Trixie practically skipped to the phone like a happy little school girl.

"Hello…Oh I don't think I'll be able to make it this year. I'm feeling really sick…" she hung it up after a few seconds.

"Trixie, I didn't know you were feeling sick…" Raspberry asked.

"Yes, I'm feeling really lovesick…"


	4. Chapter 4: Here Comes The Calvary

**Wheels And Raspberries**

**Chapter Four: Here Comes The Calvary**

**_Author's Note: Ok, this chapter has some minor suggestive sitations so take heed before you read (that's part of the reason why this is rated T!)! I'm actually kinda afraid that I may have crossed that border...The very worst part is when Trixie makes a suggestion to help Speed with a little dilema (that she caused). But I'll know by your reviews if I should take it out..._**

**_Author's Note#2:The poem that I use in this chapter is actually an excerpt from my novel The Magic Circle_****_ written by me, Mary Guillen, this means that it is copyrighted, so...bottom line...DON'T STEAL IT!_**

"Breakfast is ready!" Mom called to her boys upstairs. Speed was just coming out of the bathroom with a towel draped over his head.

"Good morning, Sweetie! You were up early today," Mom said kissing Speed on the cheek. He responded with a bashful grin cheeks quickly turning scarlet as he remembered why he was up so early.

"Speed you're blushing, are you feeling ok?" she replied.

"I…uh…um…" he sputtered.

"Hey Speedy, your face is red!" Spritle called as he ran past Speed and Mom with Chim Chim on his back. She brought a hand to his forehead to make sure he wasn't sick.

"I'm fine, Mom…really," he assured.

"Yeah, he probably just had a really saucy dream…" Sparky said going into the bathroom to wash his hands soiled with motor oil.

"Sparky!" Speed snapped.

"I know it's true, that's why you were in here taking a cold shower!" Sparky teased.

"Sparky, shut up!" Speed's face grew even more red. He grabbed the towel off his head and slapped Sparky with it.

"Heh heh, who was it Speed? Who'd you fantasize about?" Sparky continued to mock him. Sparky dashed from the bathroom before Speed could do anymore damage. Speed chased him back to the garage trying to land a punch.

"Boys…" Mom sighed as she watched their horseplay. She looked outside to see a certain motorcycle still gone from the driveway. "Oh, where's Raspberry? She said she'd be back before breakfast…"

"Sorry Mom, It's sorta my fault…" Speed said coming back from his tussle with Sparky. "I sent her on an errand for me…"

"I saw that, she said she was playing mailwoman when she left," Mom's arms folded across her chest. "Do you mind telling me what this is all about?"

"Uh…" Speed wasn't ready to give an explanation.

"She just got here and now you're making her run around town for you? Don't _you _have a car?" she said sternly.

"Well yeah, but this is…" he cut away trying to think of what to say next.

"This is…" she insisted. "C'mon spit it…"

"Oh hey, she's here…" Sparky said as he looked at the window rubbing his arm. "Looks like she's brought a friend,"

"A friend? She knows people around here?" Mom said coming to look with Sparky.

Raspberry came up the driveway with a passenger in the back who was wearing nice jeans, a pink and black shirt, and donning a motorcycle helmet so it was hard to tell exactly who it was. Raspberry and her passenger dismounted and proceeded to remove their helmets.

"Oh wait…That's our friend…That's Trixie!" Sparky said. "Didn't she have a flight seminar to go to?"

"That's…WHO?!" Speed responded in utmost shock. He really wasn't expecting to see her again so soon; he felt as if he were unprepared for a very important race. _If she's with Raspberry, she must've gotten the letter…Darnet, I'm not ready for a confrontation, yet! _He screamed in his head.

"It's Trixie, son. What are you getting so worked up about?" Pops said coming out of the garage. "She's always here…You should've gotten used to her by now…" he joked. Speed stood dumbfounded lost in his panic.

"Honey, what's gotten into you? It's only Trixie…" Mom said, she figured he may be sick after all. Speed turned and made a mad dash from the room and everyone's questioning.

"What has gotten into him?" Mom asked watching him bolt to his room.

"I'm home!" Raspberry called from the front door. "Where's Speed?"

"He saw you, turned tail and ran away to his bedroom…" Sparky said confused about his friend's behavior.

"I don't think it was because he saw me; I think it was 'cause he saw Trixie!"

"What's going on? Are you two fighting?" Mom asked Trixie as Raspberry was pulling at her to find Speed.

"It's something like that…"Raspberry said before Trixie could reply. "Hey Speedy, I have a present for you!" she said pulling Trixie along with her to their bedroom. Mom, worried if her son might've gone crazy ended up following the two girls. Upon entering, there seemed to be no one in the room.

"I thought you said he was in here?" Raspberry asked Mom.

"He is…" she said going into the room and opening the closet door where Speed was hiding.

"Oh great, do I have to tell her that you're coming out of the closet, too?" Raspberry joked. "I think you can do that on your own this time…"

"Speed Racer what on earth are you doing? You sure are acting very strangely, do you want to tell me exactly what you are doing in the closet?"

"I…was…looking for something…" he lied; he tried desperately not to catch Trixie's eyes.

"Oo, nice try…" Raspberry replied. Mom put her hands on her hips and gave him the look that said "Yeah, right…" Raspberry tapped Mom's shoulder and whispered "Speed's in love with Trixie, Trixie just found out and this is the confrontation…"

Mom's expression softened as she realized this was part of Speed's lovesick game. "Oh…Well breakfast is ready if you two have enough appetite…" she said trying to give Speed and Trixie the privacy they need.

Raspberry came up and put an arm around Trixie to push her closer to where Speed was standing looking like a bashful little boy. "This little lady canceled all her plans just to come see you! You were going to have to face her sometime, no perfect time like now…" she turned on her heel and made for the door. "I'm so jealous of you guys…" she said as she finally left the room.

"Now that that's over…You mind telling me what this is?" Trixie said pulling the letter out of her pocket. Her face was more radiant and beautiful than usual.

"It's a love note… Listen Trixie, I'll understand if you're freaked out about my new found affection for you. I just found out last night that I really…" his voice started to shake. "…love you. I found myself not wanting you to leave when you would go home, wanting call you…just to hear your voice, not being able to sleep until I heard your voice just before bed. I'm not just caring about my best friend anymore, I…I love you, Trixie,"

Trixie's heart seemed to go faster than the Mach 5 itself when she heard those three words escape his lips. She came up to him with tender steps. Her eyes were sweet and loving as they witnessed Speed's confession.

"Oh Speed," she said pulling him into a tight embrace. The feel of her body against his sent enough chills to make him turn to a puddle. "I'm actually speechless, I know what I want to say but the words aren't coming out,"

"Please say you love me, too" he whispered in her ear. Her heart leaped as she heard the same words in the letter repeated back in person. She pulled back enough to face him.

"I love you, too!" she said passionately looking into his deep blue eyes. She pulled him in for an intimate kiss. Electricity shot through their bodies; Speed's knees actually gave way underneath him causing him to fall back luckily onto his bed.

"Speed, are you okay?" Trixie asked, her voice was a little frantic fearing that he might be faint.

"Yeah, I just…Wow…" he replied with dreamy eyes at Trixie. She returned his loving smile and proceeded to sit in his lap. Feeling this close to her made his heart race even more. Trixie ran delicate fingers through his hair and continued their kiss. Time and space seemed to stand still as they did what they only dreamed of doing. The state of oblivion couldn't have been more powerful.

_It's taking over me,_

_I've held back for so long._

_This built up desire needs release._

_I can't hold it in anymore…_

_Unlock me,_

_Take me,_

_Release me from my cage of reality._

_I need your love,_

_Your touch,_

_You._

_I feel your heart,_

_Beaten and tarnished._

_Thrown on the floor,_

_Stomped on by those who took advantage of you._

_I want to heal,_

_I want to be the one who soothes your hurting human soul._

Speed tightened his embrace around Trixie as they kissed. His kisses trailed from her mouth down to her neck.

"Oh Speed," Trixie breathed. His small bites were making her loose control of her animal desires. Hot breath turned her to liquid as she melted into Speed. _Oh…he's making me…_she thought as the uncontrollable urges began to take over her.

Speed moaned into her neck causing her to emit a small moan of her own. She desperately wanted to throw him back and do a forbidden dance under the bed sheets, but her morality refused to give into the lustful action.

"Speed…we need to stop before we loose control," she wanted to shoot herself for letting those words ever slip out of her mouth. He reluctantly, but thoughtfully began to cease his powerful advances. "It's just, I want to cherish what we just got…" she continued.

"I understand," he smiled brushing her hair behind her ear. It was too early to dive that deep into her beauty. "I'm so glad Raspberry convinced me to confess. You know...if it weren't for her…I would've never written the letter. If it weren't for her…I'd be spending the rest of my life wondering what could have been…"

"She does a whole lot more than she realizes…" Trixie agreed.

"Yeah, she's already done so much and she just got here!" he said pulling her in for another kiss. Another bolt of electricity charged through them, more powerful than one before. Trixie couldn't help it as she rearranged herself to the straddle position. She held onto him like a baby koala as they remained liplocked. Speed lost himself in her, he wanted to throw all his morals out the window as they were in a good position and in the right mood; the only thing separating them was their clothing.

"Oh Dammit to hell! Why does doing something so wrong have to feel so right?" Trixie cried jumping off of Speed's lap; unsatisfaction left him flustered. "I'm sorry I was such an animal, Speed…" she said turning away from him in shame. "I'm so sorry, I know horny going stale doesn't feel so good,"

"It's okay Trix, all I need is good icy shower…" he said trying to cover his lap with a pillow.

"Why don't you just…nevermind…I can't say it…" she said trying not to face him.

"Say it, Trix…you know I hate when you do that. I'm just going to keep bugging you until you spit it out…" he replied. She took a deep sigh wanting to jump out the window.

"Fine. Why don't you just…" she started to feel dirty. "…just masturbate…"

"You want me to masturbate?" he laughed sardonically.

"It feels a whole lot better than going cold turkey! At least you get something out of it…I can leave the room if you want me to…" she really couldn't believe she was saying this to someone who just became her boyfriend moments before.

"You're really naughty you know that?" Speed chortled.

"I know I'm such a darn animal!" she said kicking Raspberry's air mattress. It didn't take much to realize that she was actually getting upset.

"Hey Trixie, I was only kidding!" he said getting up to console her.

"It's not that, Speed…This is how I lost all of my boyfriends. I turn them on during make out sessions and then my morality kicks in and I bring it to an abrupt stop. They leave because I'm a real turn off…" she said with her face in her hands. "I'm not a great girlfriend, Speed…you don't want me…"

"Do you honestly think that your sex is all I care about getting from you? I'm not after one thing. I'm not after your body nor will I struggle to get into your pants. You know I'm not like that," he said resting gentle hands on her shoulders with her back still facing him. He tenderly turned her around to face him; her eyes watery and sad.

"You know…My uncle Albert was unable to have sex because of his condition, but my Aunt Rose married him anyway. She even agreed to have his child without doing the deed. Raspberry was born through a Petri dish," he said pushing her hair behind her ear. "My aunt and uncle made sex seem so insignificant in their marriage. It was nothing but pure, honest, true love that kept them together for 5 long years and produced something, rather some_one _so special. That's something that I myself would like to have one day,"

A smile shown upon Trixie's face through her tears as she listened. "It's so good to know you're not an animal like me…"

"Trixie, I got just as horny as you did a moment ago. I do have sexual desires, wet dreams and yes, I do…" he coughed at what he was about to admit. "…masturbate…but those things are actually what make me _human_…and I know that you go through the same hormonal stress that I go through…but that doesn't make you an animal," Trixie still didn't agree with him about her harsh desires.

Speed lifted her chin so she looked straight into his eyes. "What separates you from the beast is that you have enough sense to keep yourself pure until the time is right. And I promise you I will not be like your godawful ex's and leave you just because you didn't want to have sex with me…You mean a whole lot more to me than that, baby…"

"This is why I love you. You always knew what to say to make me feel better. Why didn't we become lovers sooner?" she said going in to hug him.

"Because we didn't have Raspberry to knock some sense into us," he said as he held her tightly. "Now that we are lovers, this half would like some more kisses from his better half…" he smiled as he closed in.

Before they locked lips, the roaring sound of motorcycle engines was heard in the distance. "Do you hear that?" Trixie asked.

"Yeah, they sound like motorcycles…" he said hating the interruption of their pleasant moment. To Speed's displeasure, Trixie left his embrace to look out the window.

"Um…Speed?"

"Yeah?" he grumbled.

"They're pulling into your driveway…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Raspberry was in the dining room enjoying some waffles with the rest of the family. Racing motorcycle engines could be heard coming closer.

"What's that sound?" Spritle said pausing in the middle of his waffle. Pops got up from his place at the table to see what the commotion was.

Outside, parked in their driveway were 6 motorcycles, all of them seemed to be racing motorcycles. All six cyclists had the same style of racing suit that Raspberry wore, only each one was a different color. Raspberry, along with everyone else present at the table, got up to see who had dropped in.

"Um…Raspberry? Do these guys belong to you?" Pops asked as she came up to the window.

"Yes Uncle…they belong to me…" she said upon the recognition of her racing team. Pops and the rest of the curious family followed Raspberry out the door to the driveway.

"Raspberry, we found you!" exclaimed the girl on the yellow motorcycle. The words "Yellow Jacket" were painted on the sides. The yellow clad girl ran up to Raspberry to gave her a huge hug.

"Ow, Michelle! I was only gone for a day!" she greeted her best friend. The rest of the team followed suit and gathered around their missing comrade.

"Yes, but we're so lost without our leader!"

"Didn't I make you Second-in-Command?"

"You know I'm a terrible leader Razz…" Michelle replied. Raspberry knuckled Michelle in the shoulder as a response. Raspberry then realized that the rest of the family had followed her out.

"Oh, guys let me introduce you to the other part of my Racer family… This is my Uncle Pops and my Auntie," she said going down the line. "This is my littlest cousin Spritle and his pal Chim Chim, and over here is actually a really great friend of the family, Sparky…"

"It's nice to meet you all," Mom said with a big smile on her face. Raspberry then proceeded to go down the line to introduce her team.

"All right, guys…Introduce yourselves!" Raspberry called to her team.

"I'm Michelle Larkspur, Raspberry's best friend, mechanic, coach, and Second-in-Command to our team!" the Barbie blonde girl said doing a little curtsy.

"I'm Jay Luvan and I drive the #2 VelociRaptor!" said the short stocky girl in green.

"I'm Violet Shelma and I drive the #1 Iris" a tall burnette girl dressed in purple greeted.

"I'm Kitty Bonnet and I drive the #3 Heartbreaker" a giddy girl in pink saluted.

"I'm one of the only two guys on the team, Sappire O'Dell, I drive the #9 referred to as "Cloud 9"," A gentle looking boy with deep blue hair in white answered.

"And I'm the only other guy, Charlie Larkspur, little brother to Michelle and I drive the #8 more formally known as the "Eight Ball"!"

"And you guys already know me, so with all that said, this is team more commonly known as the FireWheel racing team!" Raspberry said.

"Sponsored by A.R. Motors!" Michelle replied like a radio news castor.

"Oh goodness, I wasn't expecting this many guests! I don't know if we can accommodate all of you lovely racers at the table…" Mom said worried. Raspberry then hatched a brilliant idea.

"Well then, why don't we have a backyard picnic?" Raspberry suggested.

"Yeah, it's a beautiful day!" Spritle perked up; Chim Chim jumping up and down in agreement. "And it's been a long time since we had a really big picnic!"

"Well it sounds like a great idea, but…" Mom said thinking of how much work it's really going to be to throw such a bash.

"Don't worry, Momma Racer…" Raspberry said catching on. "We'll help!" she said motioning to her team.

"Yes, we'll help!" Michelle said giving salute. "What's the command, Commander?"

"Michelle, knock it off…" Raspberry said elbowing her about her formal behavior. "Anyway, you could start by running to the store and getting the food…"

"Oh yeah…that would be a good idea," Michelle said.

"Take my sidecar, and have the two strapping men go with you…"

"Won't it be easier to just take the Mach 5?" Spritle spoke up.

"Yes it would, but that's Speed's car…" Raspberry answered. "I don't think he'd appreciate someone other than him driving his car,"

"He's let Trixie drive before…"

"But he was with her, son…" Pops replied.

"Well then go get Speed!" Spritle said becoming frustrated.

"Um…He's a little busy…" Raspberry smiled as her cheeks turned red when she began to think what the two might be doing.

"Ugh…I'll go get him!" Spritle said running into the house.

"Wait! Spritle! DON'T GO IN THERE!" Raspberry called as she ran after him, but he was too fast. _Oh crap…poor Speed and Trixie…_

Spritle ran to his brother's room and immediately ran back out. "EWWWWW GROSS!! MY EYES!! IT BURNS!!"

Raspberry started laughing. "I told you not to go in there!"

"MOMMA! Speed was eating Trixie's face and now I'm blind!" Spritle tattled. Mom began to hope that was all they were doing since they were in there for nearly two hours.

"Spritle you brat! Don't you know how to knock!" Speed rushed out; Mom was thankful he still had his clothes on and didn't look like they were put on in 2 seconds. Trixie emerged, but stood back with a scarlet face.

"You're gross, Speed!! Trixie put you under a spell, didn't she? BREAK THAT SPELL SPEED, don't be drawn in by her!"

"Oh thanks Spritle, but I happen to like the spell I'm under…" Speed replied. "Now what did you rush into my room for?"

"We wanted to borrow the Mach 5. We're going to have a backyard picnic, but I can see you won't be hungry now that you just about eaten Trixie's face…"

"Hush Spritle," Mom said trying to calm her seemingly traumatized son. "We just thought it would be easier to get the groceries we need instead of using a motorcycle…" she continued hardly able to look her son in the eye. He's had other girlfriends before, but never one that was so close to the family after so many years. This new development still seemed to shock her eventhough she saw it coming.

"Um, well ok…But what's the picnic for?" Speed asked unaware of the plans. Mom motioned to the mob coming through the front door following their leader. "We have even more guests!"


	5. Chapter 5: The Rose Cove

**Wheels And Raspberries**

**Chapter 5: The Rose Cove**

**_Author's note: Well here's chapter 5 at long last! Sorry I took so long. Well I pray you enjoy and I'll be working on Chapter 6 in the meantime!_**

The members of Raspberry's racing team proceeded through the entrance to get to the Racer's backyard. Michelle stopped in right in Raspberry's tracks causing her to run into her.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?" Raspberry asked her suddenly thunderstruck friend.

"Y—You're Speed Racer!!" Michelle shrieked. Her screech was enough to alert the other female team members who were also huge fans of the incredibly famous Speed Racer. Without a second thought, Michelle along with most of the team came up to where Speed was standing with his mother and little brother.

"_Oh boy_," Raspberry thought to herself; she remembered that she and the girls of her team were huge fans of Speed long before she found out that he was her cousin.

"Oh Speed, I can't believe I'm actually meeting you! I'm your number one fan!" Michelle exclaimed as the heart of a fanatic glazed her eyes. "You're so dreamy!" she exclaimed dreamily. Jay, Violet, and Kitty didn't say much, but agreed with Michelle as they too had wistful looks in their eyes.

Sapphire and Charlie stood back and watched their teammates turn from racers to fangirls in seconds. The situation was clearly making Speed uncomfortable eventhough he usually gets this kind of reaction from girls after his races.

"Hey girls, knock it off!" Raspberry said trying to control her stargazing team. The moment she came up to tug at Michelle's arm, Michelle turned and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE RELATED TO SPEED RACER?!" she exclaimed as she shook her. Raspberry gave a shy smile.

"Well I just found out myself last night…" Raspberry explained feebly trying to recover from Michelle's jolt. Hearing this, Mom still couldn't believe that they had actually been that distant. However, the truth was that the last time Mom had actually seen Raspberry was when she was an infant, barely able to walk.

"Didn't know?! Mr. Racer didn't even mention the rest of your family?" Michelle continued.

"Of course he did! But he didn't really make specifics on the name. So when he did talk about family members he would always say something like, "You know your cousin is a very talented racer; your uncle is a high top engineer…" stuff like that. He'd tell me stories of "My Uncle," she continued making quotation marks with her hands. "Or fascinating stories of "my cousin"

"Ooh, so I guess that means we'll be seeing you more often!" Kitty said in a seductive tone. She added to that by leaning up against him and giving him a tickle under his chin.

Trixie's eyes flashed flame when she saw this. "_Why you…Hands off!"_ Trixie thought as her face became red with fury. Raspberry could actually feel the piercing stare that she was giving Speed.

"Look with your eyes, Kitty. Don't touch…" Raspberry said pulling her away from her cousin who was under the death stare.

"Aw, can't a girl flirt?" Kitty pouted.

"You can when he isn't my cousin…" Raspberry replied sarcastically. Her arms folded across her chest.

"What's it to you? It's not like you can ever go out with him!" Kitty retorted.

"No…but I can!" Trixie said grabbing Speed by the wrist not being able to stand them eyepopping her new boyfriend. Speed was actually relieved to be seized by Trixie and her jealousy. "Sorry girls, this meat's no longer on the market!" she said cleverly smiling. A big "aww" of disappointment came from the star stricken team.

"Woo, go girl!" Raspberry snickered. Michelle just shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh well, can't get 'em all! But…" she said pulling out a sharpie marker. "Can you at least sign my racing suit?" she asked holding out her arm. The other girls praised the idea and came up almost pushing Michelle over trying to be the next one in line.

"Uh…s-sure…" Speed said feeling tension between him and Trixie. She just wanted to take him and hide him somewhere where girls won't attack him like this.

This new rage was something that wasn't really common in Trixie. Sure she had to grunt a little to get what she needed, but overall was never this mean…or jealous. Especially over a guy.

Realization of how rude she may have actually been caused Trixie to back away from Speed. _Wow, I've become a monster... Maybe getting together with Speed isn't such a good idea after all… _She continued to take little steps away from him.

Speed looked towards her when he felt the warmth of her body leave him. His eyes asked a question that she knew she had to answer. "I—I'm just gonna see if Mom needs any help," she stuttered. She smiled to hide her grief as she headed for the kitchen. Speed gave a smile, but was clearly worried as he turned back to signing racing suits.

Mom wasn't in the kitchen; during the commotion, she and Spritle escaped to the backyard to see about the condition of her big picnic table and Pops and Sparky went back to work in the factory. Trixie bypassed the kitchen and went straight for the second garage that wasn't transformed into a factory; also known as Pop's office. The Mach 5 rested in this second garage when it wasn't on the road or in the shop.

Trixie ran her fingers across the Mach 5's white exterior. _I can't believe I got so outraged and rude…_ she thought as she climbed into the driver's seat. _I don't deserve someone like Speed. He really is too good for me, Mr. Superfamous Racecar driver. _Speed's keys were in the ignition along with the garage door remote. An uncontrollable urge to turn the key and go raged and buzzed in her head.

"That would be daring, wouldn't it?" Trixie said aloud to herself. "I wonder if he'll even hear me open the door…" she said pressing the button on the small remote. The garage door opened swiftly and didn't really make too much noise. On complete and total impulse she turned the key and revved the engine. Taking a deep breath with heart racing, she backed the Mach 5 onto the street and started down the road.

* * *

Raspberry stood back with Sapphire and Charlie as she watched her team get their fill of Speed. She had to keep telling Kitty to stop with her ambitious flirting with Jay and Violet acting no better.

"Is that girl really your girlfriend, Speed?" Violet asked as he signed her sleeve.

"Yes she is…" he smiled as he completed his signature.

"That's funny…You always insisted that you two were just friends…" Kitty said.

"Yeah, well we got some sense knocked into us…thanks to Raspberry…" Speed smiled as he took a seat at the table. The gaggle couldn't help but join their role model.

"Wait…Raspberry influenced this?" Kitty said giving Raspberry a staggered look.

"Well…we sorta knew we had something for each other, Raspberry just helped me confess to her," Speed said smiling

"Should I kill you now or later?" Kitty growled.

"Later…when you're in your grave," Raspberry said sarcasticly.

Mom came in along with her youngest trailing behind. "Ok everyone, the picnic table is all set," she said brushing a leaf off of her. "Where's Trixie? I could use her help with the prep in the kitchen…"

"Um…I thought she was with you… She did say that she was going to help you," Raspberry said; worry was beginning to set in.

"If she was going to help her, wouldn't she have gone into the backyard, not the kitchen?" Charlie spoke up. There was an awkward moment of silence when everyone realized what Charlie had just said was true.

"Excuse me…" Mom said rushing to the kitchen. The mood in the room went from light to heavy as the disappearance of Trixie was becoming a hot topic. Speed could feel something was wrong the moment Trixie backed away from him.

"Should've gone after her…" Speed whispered to himself. He was beginning to regret giving into his fandom.

Mom then emerged from the kitchen. "Hey son, come here…" she said motioning him under her arm. "Pleeeease tell me you didn't upset Trixie 2-and-a-half hours into your new relationship…"

"I think I might've. But I really wasn't trying to, this sorta stuff happens all the time after races…I didn't think she'd be this mad…"

"Maybe she didn't like it this time because you two had just fallen madly in love. Seeing other girls hang around you is sure to strike a flame," Mom continued.

"Yeah, I'm sure my team could've _waited _to get your autograph…" Raspberry said giving them a disappointed look. "I think the fire really started burning when Kitty kept flirting with you,"

"Hey! I didn't know he was spoken for!" Kitty exclaimed.

"Kitty, you kept on even after Trixie said he was taken…" Raspberry snapped. "Anyway, that doesn't matter now. Is she upset Momma Racer?" she said turning back to Mom.

"I'm only assuming she is…due to the fact that the Mach 5 is gone…" Mom answered.

"She…took my car?" Speed said eyes widening.

"I don't think she had the intention of stealing it," Mom said trying to calm him down. Speed ran to the garage to find an empty lot. "I'm more than absolutely sure she'll be back…just let her get some air,"

"Shoulda told her to get the groceries while she was at it…" Kitty snickered.

"Kitty…" Raspberry called in a callous tone.

"Sorry boss…" Kitty replied. "I can't help it, she's my new rival in love!"

Raspberry rolled her eyes at the comment. "You better find someone else to latch onto or I'll be your new rival…" she threatened.

"Woah…no need to get angry, boss… just because you can't have him anymore doesn't mean I don't have a chance…"

"Kitty, you have no chance and I'll see to that! You might as well forget it!" Michelle snapped annoyed by her persistence.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop!" Kitty giggled. "There's plenty of other fish out there for me anyway…" she smiled.

"I win her heart and I break it two hours later…." Speed said rubbing his face with his hand.

"Oh Speed, relationships have their ups and their downs. That only means that it's healthy…" Mom said rubbing her son's back to comfort him in his trouble.

"Yeah Speedy, her jealousy only means that she really loves you…_And _will get upset if any other girls try to claim what's hers!" Raspberry toyed. "Let's just leave her be for now like Momma Racer said. She'll come back…"

Speed just looked down in grief. He broke the heart of someone he truly loved; someone he cared about for years and now has a growing affection for.

"Try not to worry Speed, you didn't mean to hurt Trixie and I'm sure she'll realize that soon enough,"

"Yeah, why don't we just continue prepping this party, we have a large family to feed," Raspberry said trying to lighten the mood.

"Alright team you heard her! Head to the bikes and make sure your backpacks and saddle bags are empty…" Michelle called to the team.

"Oh, but where will we put our stuff?"

"You all can put it on my bed for now…" Raspberry said motioning them to the bedroom she shared with Speed. "I'll stay here and help my aunt," the team grabbed their bags and followed the leader once again. After a while they'd be off to the grocer's getting enough to feed a party of 14.

* * *

Trixie stopped and rested the Mach 5 in a secluded area she called the Rose Cove. A small clearing in a heavily wooded area that was big enough for one compact car; it was surrounded by lush rose bushes and a larger oak tree that seemed to be over 200 years old. The Rose Cove was known only to Trixie and went there when she needed some alone time from life's drama.

She discovered it as a child and would often climb the big oak to look out to the ocean which was just over the cliff. It was a beautiful little side in the road and Trixie would often loose herself in the aroma of roses and ocean waves. The cove was about 50 meters from the actual country road leading to the elementary school that she and Speed had attended. It's very secluded and the path leading to it twisted and turned so no one but her could find it.

Trixie cut the engine off and laid her head on the steering wheel. "I can't believe I just stole the Mach 5," tears began to run down her face. "I'm such a fool, Speed is too good for the likes of me…He's super-famous and deserves someone like a super-model," she looked down at her own body; then she quickly tossed the idea. "Hmph…At least my parts aren't fake…" she said looking into her shirt.

_I still can't believe how rude I was…He must think I'm a total jerk…_ she thought.

"Well hello there, little lady…" A voice said from the old oak. Trixie, startled, looked up to find Racer X perched high on a limb of the oak tree.

"Racer X, what are you doing here?" Trixie asked calming down from the brief shock.

"Well I saw the Mach 5 pass by, but when I noticed it wasn't Speed driving I sorta panicked and followed fearing Speed's car was stolen. I'm relieved now that I know it was you driving the car…Sorry I spooked you…"

"That's alright…But I am a crook, I did steal the Mach 5…" Trixie said looking down in shame.

"You did?" Racer X said finding this very hard to believe. "You're Speed's best friend, you have been for years…What compelled you to take something so precious to him?"

"I was upset…I wasn't really thinking at the time and just did it on pure impulse. He's going to be so furious with me…He may even…break up with me…" she said looking down. It pained her so much to think of that consequence that she actually felt sick to her stomach.

"Break up with you? Do you mean that you're more than friends with him now?"

"Oh, yes…As a matter of fact, we just confessed to each other a couple of hours ago…" she said blushing.

"That's very sweet, you two would be very happy together. You're the right kind of girl for a guy like him,"

"What makes you say that?" Trixie asked perplexed. _I've been a horrible girlfriend so far…I turned him on then made him go stale, and then acted like a complete jerk to Raspberry's team…_ "How could I possibly be the right girl for him?"

"You two are always smiling, laughing, and having a good time when you're together. You support each other, help one another in need, and keep your friendship at its fullest," he smiled at her from his place on the tree. "Fans and supermodel types who mainly pay attention to money, fame, lust, or even themselves was the case with some of Speed's previous girlfriends. But you, Trixie…You don't care about any of that. You love him for who he is, you take a delight in his passion, and you care for the wellbeing of him and his family. You truly love him Trixie, and I know you always will…"

"Thank you, Racer X…." she replied with a joyful smile. _He is absolutely right, I'm nothing like Speed's other girlfriends. There was a reason he broke up with them and it was because they were taking advantage of his fame. I would never do something like that…it's disgusting…_

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked standing on the branch preparing to go the way he came.

"Yes, I'll just have to apologize for being so reckless and taking his car…I hope he won't be too upset…"

"If Speed's the kind of man I think he is, the kind of man who would put another man's life before winning a race, then I'm sure he would be more worried about you, than his car…" he said turning to leave. "Oh and if you two had just gotten together, then you should be together right now…" in an eye's blink he was gone. Trixie didn't even see how he left.

_He's right, I should go back…_she thought. Racer X's strong words burrowed deep into her head as she began to contemplate how she was going to back the Mach 5 out of the cove. _Well it was so easy getting in, let's see if I can get out without hurting my cove…_

Trixie slowly but surely backed the Mach 5 all the way out of the cove's thin curvy pathway and started on her way back to the Racer house.

* * *

Trixie eased the car into the garage and shut its door. Her heart raced as she slowly climbed out. _I hope Racer X is right, I hope he won't be mad… _she thought as she rested her hand on the doorknob to the Racer's kitchen. _Well here goes…_

Trixie opened the door to an empty kitchen; upon closer inspection, an empty house. Most of the commotion was coming from the backyard. _Guess they started without me… good, at least I didn't worry them too much._

A warm hand rested on her shoulder. The sudden sensation caused her to jump and do a complete 180.

"I'm sorry, didn't mean to startle ya…" Raspberry said.

"Oh Raspberry it's you…" Trixie said trying to smile.

"Who did you think it was? Your loverboy?" Raspberry joked. Her warm inviting smile managed to quell Trixie's jumpy heart.

"Well actually, yeah I did… I bet he's furious with me…"

"Well…no he's not mad. You did have him worried, though. You were gone for an hour…"

"I know…" Trixie looked down at the keys she still held in her hand. "Where is he?"

Raspberry pointed at the young racer that came through the back door. He still had a sunken look on his face until he saw Trixie standing in front of his cousin. Trixie's guilty conscience caused her to turn away from his eyes.

"Well I can tell you need some time alone again…so I'll just head out back," Raspberry said heading for the backyard. "Oh yeah…and try not to take 2 hours like last time! We cooked a good meal so don't miss it!"

Speed watched as Raspberry left before turning back to Trixie. Before he could say anything Trixie spoke up.

"I've been causing you nothing but trouble, Speed…" she said finally looking deep in his eyes.

"It's okay, Trix… I'm not mad or anything…I was just worried about you…" he said coming up to embrace her in his loving arms. Her delicate arms found their way around his waist as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"I'm…sorry I took your car, I really don't have a good reason or excuse," she said in his neck. He then brought her head up to face him.

"The car can be replaced, you can't…" he said giving her a short but very sweet kiss. Speed didn't feel comfortable sharing kisses in a room where anyone could waltz in at any moment.

"So…why don't we go join the party?" Trixie said smiling

"Sounds like a plan! But stay close to me so Kitty, Jay, and Violet don't try to hang on me…"

Trixie laughed. "Okay, I'll make sure they don't get too close!"

"Care to have an escort?" Speed said and held his arm out like a gentleman for his lovely lady.

"Why thank you!" Trixie said taking his arm. She was now completely confident that she and Speed were meant for each other.


End file.
